EAST Lancashire was hit by further job losses today after automotive firm TRW announced 47 jobs were to go at its Burnley plant.

The redundancies - almost a sixth of the company's total workforce - are the latest blow to the region's manufacturing industry and come as a result of MG Rover going into administration.

The car firm went into administration, with the threat of 5,000 job losses, after the Chinese company Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation said it would not buy the firm, which is based at Longbridge in the West Midlands. Analysts have said that the most likely course of action is that the firm is broken up and its assets sold off. TRW supplies parts to MG Rover.

The TRW jobs are proposed redundancies at this stage and the company, which employs a total of 297 people at its Eastern Avenue base, will meet union representatives from Amicus next week to iron out the details.

Former Burnley MP Peter Pike has promised to do all he can to help, including trying to divert some of the £40million aid package announced by the government for Rover suppliers.

The TRW job losses follow news that more than 200 jobs are under threat at Padiham firm Perserverance Mills.